ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Dispute over the establishment of an industrial zone in the Kurdish town of Khanaqin in Diyala province led to tensions on Wednesday, with the mayor, councilor, and lawmaker accusing an investor of encroachment. The project, which extends over an area of 2,170 dunams south of Khanaqin, includes 400 commercial shops, with 15% of it completed so far. Each shop is valued at $10,000. Nevertheless, construction operations remain a subject of major controversy between government officials and the investor, leading to mutual legal actions between the two parties. "The chaos you are witnessing is in support of encroachment," Sozan Mansour, a lawmaker, said at the site. Meanwhile, Diyala Provincial Council member Aws Ibrahim reiterated the legality of the mayor's decision to remove the project. "We are currently at the site and you can see the commotion. The removal decision is official according to Law 154, and the mayor has taken all proper legal procedures. We were surprised by the forceful opposition to removing the encroachment," he said. For his part, investor Hazim al-Shakraji insisted that the land legally belongs to him, denying all charges against him, telling Rudaw "These brothers came to provoke me for money, I will not pay a single dinar. The government cannot claim that the land is encroached upon; I have an official title deed. They cannot do this, and the commissioner cannot claim this, as there are mutual complaints between us."
